What's the best brand of espresso machine?

Straw poll time: what's your favorite model of espresso machine? I recommend the Gaggia Carezza from Whole Latte Love. If I had to replace it, I'd spring for a model with a solenoid valve for easier cleaning.

You see, Nurse Lebo, my cute single cousin is in the market for an espresso machine. Share the knowledge!

Comments

[quisp]

do not buy another espresso machine without first reading (Vogue food writer) Jeffrey Steingarten's essay on espresso (in which, among other things, he taste tests 16 or so machines) in his second book, "It Must've Been Something I Ate." That is, by the way, another book for your as-far-as-I-know non-existent Amazon wish list.

The espresso chapter you can read standing up in the bookstore. It's so, so worth it I can't even begin to tell you.

[Fred Vincy]

It'll set you back a bit, but the Nespresso machines are sweet. The esspresso comes in sealed pods, which makes the whole thing very easy, and the espresso itself is very good.

[quisp]

Saeco "Via Veneto"

I got mine a couple of years ago, off eBay for 100 bucks new. I have had all manner of machines, including big expensive ones. This one is my favorite and truly does produce a consistently great cup of espresso. There are a bunch for sale now:

http://search.ebay.com/saeco-via-veneto_W0QQfromZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQfsprZ1QQsojsZ1

But read the Steingarten.

[Porco Rosso]

Rancilio Rocky and Miss Silvia Grinder.

You really can't have good espresso without a good grinder now can you?

Vacuum brewed coffee is another treat.

Get a hario deco vac pot, a cory glass rod, decent grinder...and your addiction can reach an whole new level.

[quisp]

you absolutely can have not only good but PERFECT espresso without a good grinder, or ANY grinder. Illy E.S.E. pods. perfectly ground, measured and precisely tamped for your enjoyment. Screw up any of those variables and your shot sucks. Pods take the guesswork out. Oh heck, I'll just quote Steingarten. Just a sec...

"The general idea is this: if the water pressure or temperature is too low, if the coffee is ground too coarsely, if we tamp it too tightly, if we let the water flow through it for too short a time, if we draw no more than a tablespoon or so of espresso into our cup, then we have extracted very little from the coffee beans. We will have produced what is called underextracted spresso. The crema will be pale and thin. The espresso underneath will lack body, taste and aroma.

If we reverse the conditions, if the water pressure or temperature is too high, if the grind is too fine, if the water runs tyrough the coffee for too long a time, then we will have drawn too much out of the coffee beans, including the most bitter and woody tastes and aromas. This is an overextracted espresso. The crema will be dark, with a white spot or a black hole in the center...

Here's what the experts, nearly all the experts, say. To brew a perfect espresso, you should heat the water to 192 degrees F, give or take a few degrees. The water pressure must be nine bars...you must have seven grams of coffee...one fourth of an ounce...coffee must be ground very finely and packed very firmly...you need an expensive burr grinder...or use coffee that has been already ground and immediately sealed...a shot of espresso must take 25 seconds to draw...two to two and one half tablespoons.

It's as simple as that: two tablespoons of 192 degrees F water forced through seven grams of finely ground coffee under nine atmospheres of pressure for 25 seconds, and you'll have a perfect espresso.

[Mr Illy advises that you tamp] at 40 pounds of pressure at a minimum. The key thing is, the tamped coffee must contain no more than 64 percent air...of course, there's no way for you or me to measure that ... we must tamp through trial and error. Or switch to pods."

That's the (long) short version. The book is great. Everyone should buy it.

Now it is true that you can spend a couple grand on a levered machine (and three to five hundred on a burr grinder) and then you can control more of the variables yourself, ultimately training to enter a barista competition and earning the right to mock those who use Illy pods and lesser machines. But very very few people can consistently make perfect or even adequate espresso that way, while the best of the pod machines do it consistently and very, very well. (mine does it well enough to fool my French friends.) And, I might add, there's NO CLEANUP. None. Pod in, turn on, 25 seconds, pod out, drink.

[Al Hill]

This is what we use and we love it...
http://www.breville.com.au/products_detail.asp?prod=97
ESP8B

Café Roma Stainless
ESP8B
The ultimate benchtop accessory for the style conscious coffee lover..with a dual wall crema system for a perfect espresso everytime.
Features
• Stainless steel design
• 15 bar Italian Thermoblock pump
• Advanced Crema System
• Extra large cup warming plate
• Froth enhancer
• Removable 1.2 litre water tank
• External water window
• Removable drip tray and grid
• Bonus stainless steel espresso cup set and frothing jug

[Sarah]

Well, thank you, my gentle torrefaziones. So what is the magic machine you use so confidently with the pod? I like manual stuff...the digital Saeco's kind of turn me off but just cause I like to think of myself in some way as having an old school skill. I cannot ride a skateboard, so I like manual or semi-manual espresso machines.
I'm also concerned about the frothing situation. I am a microfrother/Vel-vet Jones foam kind of girl. That burnt/lazy Starbucks kind of foam is not of my ilk. I need the kind of wand that can be coaxed and, ahem, well-manipulated. Does this sound like a sad Craig's List "Looking For" ad? Perhaps. And so it goes.

[quisp]

The Saeco Via Veneto (per above) is the one I love, though I'm sure there are others. Follow the eBay link for good deals (note: avoid used ones). It is not digital (as my dishwasher repairman commented, "just what you want, electronics and water and steam."); it has three switches (power, espresso and steam).

It does have a frothing thing, but i never use it. i hate the cleaning and -- a little secret -- get a small wisk and froth your milk in a saucepan (whole milk, very low heat). I'm not making any claim to froth greatness (I prefer my espresso straight) but in my opinion this is the best way to make a genuinely Parisian-tasting cafe au lait. It's easy to get exactly the bubbles and froth you desire by using your wrists.

Re Starbucks: I completely agree. I think the taste you have zeroed in on is both the fact that the milk is steamed at too high a temp, and the fact that the espresso itself is over-extracted. in fact, starbucks sells pods which you can use in any ESE (easy serving espresso) machine, but they taste just like starbucks coffee. I think they decided to make their espresso stronger to cut through the different other crap that goes in (caramel, etc.). Anyway, Illy pods are the best.

But get the Steingarten book.

[quisp]

"I like to think of myself in some way as having an old school skill."

I think the best old-school skill to have in this case is the knowledge of what the perfect espresso actually tastes like, unadulterated, and how to consistently get it. The rest is just for show.

[Redleg]

I have the Gaggia Carezza machine and I love it. It makes a delicious cup of espresso with nice, thick crema. My grinder is not so great- don't scrimp on the grinder!

[Sylvia Tognetti]

This may just be part of my nostalgia trip - I half grew up in Pisa - but I would never use anything but a stove top Bialetti. You can find it in any mom & pop Italian store. The other advantage is, it works also on a camping stove, and is easy to pack. I have never been able to make the fancy kind actually froth the milk right - in Italy, for a real capuccino, one goes to a bar - which has never charged the kinds of prices found at Starbucks. On a camping trip, you can get pretty good froth by shaking powdered milk and water in a jar. But if you want a more interesting answer, try asking that question at http://sifossifoco.splinder.com/ - or maybe I will. The answer will undoubtedly be in some form of Toscanaccio (i.e., vulgar Tuscan) but then hit the button "SFF ININGLISH" (ok, I can help with the real translation if need be, but some things just don't quite translate). I would upload a picture of my smoked up Bialetti but I don't see a way to do it.

[SH Lebo]

I have a moka stovetop but I have never been able to get crema from it...I've been using illy. Am I putting too much or not enough in the portafilter?
While driving on the 110 today, I daydreamt of this espresso I had at the base of Mt Etna at a gas station. Ah.

[quisp]

more than likely it's not tamped hard enough, or not enough water. But, Lebo: pods! You're already using Illy coffee! At this point -- don't tell anyone -- I'll offer you a one time full money back guarantee on my favorite machine. You won't be sorry. (re crema: i have been making six espressos a day in this machine for two or three years and I have NEVER failed to get a good crema; i'm telling you it's an idiot proof system...)

[Thad]

I have a moka stovetop but I have never been able to get crema from it

Sarah,

I know, you can't. Stovetop contraptions just can't generate espresso-calibre water pressure -- as I'm sure you've found. I absolutely love the look of those things, but put yours up in a nook somewhere and treat yourself to a proper espresso machine.

Our Gaggia Carrezza machine takes pods, if you like, but -- not to be dissin' pods, which I admit I've not tried -- I can't imagine not getting my coffee from D'Amico. They are just a few blocks from us, and they have the best, freshest beans I've ever tasted. Their roasting machine is right up front! And their prices are absurdly low.

I will admit that our espresso is not consistent -- due to all the variables Quisp mentioned -- but when either of us manages to get everything just right (through a combination of experience and dumb luck), the espresso from our Gaggia, using D'Amico beans, is ideal. [Way better than the espresso from my Dad's super automatic machine, which I think is a Saeco. I've tried Illy beans and Peet's beans in it. It's very consistent, and very, well, okay. ]

Anyway, I feel -- and YMMV -- that the one good shot we get every so often more than makes up for those times when we might have been a little off in our tamping or whatever. It's like live music: you're not wasting your money paying all those cover charges to hear mediocre, uninspired shows -- you're paying to increase the odds that you'll be there that one time that something truly fucking magical happens.

I will admit the foaming wand on the Gaggia isn't at a great angle, and (podless) cleanup is a bit of a drag. Also, you have to really go at the shower head regularly. And there's no double-boiler, so you have to either wait for the boiler to cool down after frothing the milk, or wait for it to heat up after brewing the espresso. Those aren't huge issues for me, though. Bang-for-buck, it's been terrific, but I haven't scoured the market recently and there might be better, newer alternatives.

Anyway, here are some articles from Whole Latte Love's site that might help you -- never mind the name, they're good people. In fact, why not give them a call or send them some email? They are super-nice, and clearly know their stuff, and I never caught even the slightest whiff of bullshit from them.

Picking the perfect espresso machine

Understanding the different espresso machines

Prosumer equipment

Compare-o-Matic

They have quisp's Saeco Via Veneto for $199, and our Gaggia Carezza for the same price. They do price matching, but I don't know if they price-match eBay, so you may be better with that. But talk to them -- they will be more than happy to answer your questions.

[Thad]

Hi again Sarah,

More info than you really want or need, probably, but I did think of a couple of things I forgot to mention last night:

Gaggia have changed the design for the steaming wand on the Carrezza (and the rest of their line) since we bought our model. It's supposedly easier to use now, which is good. The old wand was quality -- stainless steel, not plastic like a lot of other models in that price range -- but it's tricky to use and a little awkward. (We should probably get a smaller pitcher for the milk, that would help... ). Apparently the new wand is more user-friendly.

The other nice thing about the Gaggias is that they all have two-element boilers, with the elements outside the boiler. I'm sure you can appreciate the advantage to not having your heating element(s) immersed in water. The two-element construction also does a much better job of heating the water in the boiler evenly and consistently.

Anyway, let us know whatcha get.

[Lebo]

Will fill you in...thanks so much for adding to my coffeegeek/lattelove research. Re: the moka stovetop....I have been told that the proper pressure *can* be created on such a device...have you seen the electric one Bodum is selling? It's kind of pretty but again gives us a crema tease (www.bodumshop.com).
S

[Thad]

Re: the moka stovetop....I have been told that the proper pressure *can* be created on such a device...

I'm afraid you've been misled, my dear. There's simply no way you can ever get anything even approaching nine atmospheres of pressure from a stovetop "espresso" maker. See, for instance, here:

Stovetop Espresso

Although there are machines that claim to make stovetop espresso, they are missing a basic component that is necessary for making espresso... bar pressure.  In order to attain the high-pressure needed to make true espresso, you must have a pump driven machine. Stovetop machines don't have pumps, and lack the ability to make the necessary pressure.  Even though stove top espresso machines don't make real espresso, they make a good strong cup of Joe. Just ask tens of millions of Italian nationals who make this their morning brew. One of the most popular stove-tops, the Bialetti, and units like it are in virtually every Italian household. It is an brew with an edge and an acquired taste.

Or just Google stovetop espresso pressure atmosphere.

[espresso machines]

Hey I have one espresso machine in my home. It really worth to have it since in this century coffee becomes a costlier one. You can save the money by having one espresso machine at home.

[moniter1]

I will suggest for Gaggia Carezza espresso machine. Gaggia is one of the most well known and respected brands in the industry. My family using this machine and never face any problem.